Writing Competitions

Do you enjoy writing stories? Would you like to win some great prizes?  If the answer to both these questions is yes, you may be interested in entering two national creative writing competitions for secondary school students. Good luck!

Wicked Young Writers Competition

Writing subject: The organisers want your writing to be personal to you so you can write on whatever topic you like.

Length: 750 words

Open to: 5 to 25 year olds

Prizes: All winners will win four tickets to see the London production of WICKED at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and an opportunity to meet cast members after the show along with an exclusive backstage tour.  Plus loads more prizes.

Deadline: Monday 13th March 2017

Click here for more information and how to enter

Young Writers Busta Rhyme poetry competition

Writing subject: Anything you feel passionately about.

Rules: One entry per student, poems can be submitted online or by post. Please ensure your name, surname and age are included on your work.

Prizes: The best poet will WIN £1,000 for themselves!

The best school will win the Young Writers' Award of Excellence, which they can showcase in their school.

Closing Date: Friday 21st of October 2016

Click here for more information and writing tips.

Post-a-Read 2016

Thank you to everyone who told us what they were reading over the summer holidays. We've had postcards from Grenada to Devon and Croatia to The Maldives and lots of excellent book recommendations!  Mr Contreras-Ramis read the most books - 13 novels in English and more in Spanish!  All the students who sent us a postcard have been awarded achievement points and received prizes.

Come and have a look at our display, which is on the noticeboard outside the Discovery Library.  Remember, we are a reading school, so feel free to ask you teachers what they are reading.

Man Booker Prize 2016 - short list announced

The Man Booker Prize is awarded for fiction and is open to authors writing in English regardless of their nationality.

The six books on this year's short list are:

• The Sellout by Paul Beatty (US)
• Hot Milk by Deborah Levy (UK)
• His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK)
• Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (US)
• All That Man Is by David Szalay (Canada/UK)
• Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thein (Canada) a (US)

The winner of the year's Man Booker Prize will be announced on Tuesday, 25th October.

Previous Man Booker Prize winners are available to borrow from the War Memorial Library.

The UKLA Book Awards 2017 - long list announced

The 2017 UKLA (UK Literacy Association) Book Awards long list has been announced. The awards, which celebrate children's and YA books, are judged by active classroom teachers.  The books are split into the three age group categories and among the books long listed in the 12-16 age group are:

• One by Sarah Crossan, winner of the Carnegie Medal, a moving novel about conjoined twins.
• Island by Nicky Singer, illustrated by Chris Riddell
• Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine, nominated for the Carnegie Medal
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, nominated for the Carnegie Medal

These books are all available to borrow in the Discovery and War Memorial Libraries.

The shortlists will be announced from 13^th March 2017 and the winners will be announced on 30^th June at the UKLA International Conference.

Roald Dahl Day

Today is Roald Dahl day and this year marks 100 years since his birth.  Roald Dahl, much loved author and storyteller, created witty and wonderfully eccentric stories with unforgettable characters, which are loved by everyone.  His previous jobs included a pilot for the RAF and Shell Executive in Africa.

“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn't be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” 

Roald Dahl

You can find books by and about Roald Dahl’s in the Discovery Library.  Come and browse and borrow! What’s your favourite Roald Dahl story?

Welcome Back!

We would like to welcome back all the TRS students and staff and welcome all those who are new to the school - we hope that you enjoy your time here! 

We hope you had a great summer - we have received some postcards telling us what you were reading and look forward to displaying these. 

We have a great collection of fiction and non-fiction to browse and borrow in our Libraries, with Librarians on hand to help with homework and recommend a great read - just ask!

For the KS3 students, the Discovery Library is open before and after school as well as at lunch time for quiet study. For KS4 students, the War Memorial Library is open at lunch time and for Post 16 students, it is available to use throughout the day including morning break.

Look out for our library competitions, including our weekly Word of the Week competition, with loads of great prizes to be won. We have changing book displays and displays of new books to encourage reading for pleasure. We are happy to consider buying any books that we do not currently have – just ask! There are suggestion boxes too for any comments or suggestions you may have.